Transplanting Potions
by disillusionist9
Summary: Severus Snape, Potions Master of the Mastery University of Europe, faces an unusual conundrum that requires the entirety of his patience and critical thinking. - General Ficlets about Professor Snape with side pairings: Dramione, Ronsy, and Thuna - HAPPY SNAPE WEEK 2017
1. Vegan Vs Snape

"I beg your pardon?"

It took every molecule in Severus Snape's currently immobile body to resist the urge to crush the delicate ingredient in his hands, gloved to the elbow, as he demonstrated to his class how to property debone a Trinity Trout. With an undignified squelch, the bright pink flesh of the fish peeled away from the silvery bones beneath as his hands continued his work without his mind's permission. A few more swipes of his fingers and the unnecessary parts for the potion found themselves in the small bowl meant for waste at the corner of his desk.

The size of this class afforded him an intimacy he'd never known while teaching at Hogwarts, but Severus had grown accustomed to that distance. It made it harder for his students to see when his left eye's lower lid twitched in distress in such a situation as this.

Clearing her throat, the girl standing furthest from his demonstration table turned to face him instead of out the window at the rolling green hills beyond. She lifted one of her hands up with her sleeve to cover her nose and mouth, muffling her words considerably as she repeated, "I would like to be excused, sir. Indefinitely."

Blustering now at the indignance, his insides rolled in anger, and he kept his tone as even as possible given the impertinence. "I expect an explanation. Do you require medical attention, Miss Volume?"

"No, sir."

"Then you are _not_ excused-"

"But if I stay I will be sick," the student interrupted, eyes locked on the shimmering gloves still covering Severus's upper arms. When he made two fists in frustration, she gasped and looked up again. "Sir!"

"Miss Volume," Severus started, now speaking through gritted teeth as the other half dozen students nearby watched in a range of abject horror to unmitigated glee. "You have just informed me you did not require medical attention yet insist you will compromise my lab with your vomit if you remain. Which is it?"

The volley thrown from professor to student once more, the others in the room turned immediately to watch their comrade's reaction. Severus noted the smug lift of an eyebrow on the boy by his elbow, his bright blond curls bouncing as he shook his head. Leave it to a Malfoy to act with such arrogance. Without any patience left, since the Trinity Trout had exhausted most of his reserves before the gong of classes even sounded, Severus snapped at the boy, "Enlighten the room or restrain your vulgar display, Marcellus Malfoy."

Marcellus, son of Draco and Hermione Malfoy, lowered the smirk from his lips but gave no quarter on what made him act so smug at the start. His twin sister on the opposite side of the table had the decency to huff in annoyance at her brother and speak up on Penelope Volume's behalf, and before her favorite tutor moved into Verbal Evisceration Mode Two.

"Penelope is a vegan, now, sir."

Still regarding his recoiling pupil with utmost scrutiny, Severus spoke to Cassiopeia out of the corner of his mouth. "Thank you. All of you, this lesson has not concluded, but would all but Miss Volume leave the room for the duration it takes you to all to count to seven hundred ninety four in Classic Druid?"

In any other situation he knew the students, save for Cassiopeia, would have groaned aloud in annoyance at the task. As it was, all six bodies that were not named Penelope Volume fled from the room. Marcellus glanced between the two of them for a moment before pulling the door closed behind him, a glare from his tutor following him out.

"Now," Severus started, removing his gloves and placing a Stasis charm over his workbench.

"I'm sorry, sir," Penelope said before Severus could open his mouth again.

"That's twice you've interrupted me this lesson, Miss Volume, which is sufficient grounds for dismissal from this course. Do hold your tongue." Furious nodding from his student, and he continued. "I was unaware of your decision to choose a vegan lifestyle, and I sincerely doubt your Department Dean would have hand picked you to attend these classes if she had known as well. Professor Krinnic is excessively agreeable to accommodating her students. Why, then, did you decide to move forward with what must surely be an extremely distressing subject for you, Miss Volume?"

Of all the things Severus Snape had grown accustomed to in the years guiding young witches and wizards to appreciate the arcane art of potions and alchemy, he'd never gotten used to crying.

"I just...I want to be a Potions Mistress so _ba-ah-adly_!"

He was glad he'd already removed his gloves, so he could properly pinch the bridge of his nose and sigh without gumming up his face with entrails. Reaching into the pocket of his waistcoat, he removed one of the self-replenishing handkerchiefs he kept on hand for such repugnant situations. He waited until she'd composed herself a bit further, soiling the kerchief thoroughly, though it was better than destroying the sleeve of her blouse or robes, before pressing on.

"Potions include the exact things you've decided to avoid in your lifestyle, Miss Volume. Your ambition to continue is...admirable, yet misguided. Have you considered any other pursuits here at the university?"

Shaking her head sadly, Penelope released a single watery sigh and said, "No, sir. My family has always encouraged my affinity for Potions and...it's what my scholarship to attend this school is for! Without that scholarship, I'm finished."

Severus frowned at that, scratching his chin absently, the short growth scratching back. Tuition wasn't completely insurmountable to the entirety of wizarding Britain, but losing your sponsorship or scholarship of attendance, the credentials each student needed to carry, meant a halt to funding of projects or outside pursuits. He knew exactly how precarious sponsorship could be to the Mastery University of Europe. He'd never dreamed of teaching at the school, completely tied to Hogwarts and Dumbledore until either he or the Dark Lord died (thankfully it had been the latter), let alone attending. Private apprenticeship was out of fashion these days, but without it, and a loan from the Malfoys for the apprentice fee of his Master, Severus would never have managed it.

"You may not have to abandon this thread, Miss Volume," he said, thoughts piling into place as he wove around the limitations of his station, since he was in no way inclined to or allowed to sponsor a student: too similar to favoritism. He recalled the last two years working with the distressed student before him, and started to pace. She had promise, and had never shied away from any portion of the art of potion making before today. As curious as he was, he respected her decision to change from casual vegetarian tendencies, apparent by her eating habits during the communal holiday dinners at the university, to full veganism without question. "Have you considered what your new restrictions afford you?"

"I'm afraid I don't follow, sir. I know what it means to be a vegan if that's what you're questioning…"

"No, no, no," he said, continuing to pace so that his body moved as his thoughts raced, propelling his idea forward into reality. "I mean your restrictions have not limited you, but may broaden the scope of your research. What have I strived for in these lessons since the first time you and your cohort of students walked through those doors?"

Her eyes sparked as the flash of the words _Absolute Silence_ flew unbidden from her mind to his, but she voiced a different thought, "Don't let the light blind you. Are you suggesting-"

Takings his turn to interrupt, Severus said, "I'm suggesting you move your research to find plant-based alternatives to every item I use that distresses you. There are likely reams of books on flora properties at your disposal in the library that can assist you, and I can write you a list of other texts to request from your sponsors."

With a countenance that was more grateful and optimistic than he'd seen on anyone in longer than he could remember, Penelope burst with laughter and put a hand over her mouth to hold in the giggles that followed. "Thank you, sir!"

"Begone with you. Collect your notes from one of the Malfoy twins for today's lesson. Take this time to meet with Professor Krinnic, and get yourself back on the Herbology roster for this semester before it's too late. And Miss Volume? Do remember I expect full marks to continue in my class following this revelation. Do not keep such pertinent information from your Department Head again."

Her hand still resting on the handle of the classroom door, Penelope continued to beam at him, which was almost as unsettling as her display of emotion just minutes before, and the change made his head spin. "Thank you, sir!"

"Yes, yes," he said to himself, returning to the workbench where the Stasis charm shimmered without sound to protect his ingredients from any exposure. After checking for any deterioration, and finding none, as he expected, he looked up again. Frowning, he mumbled, "How long does it take to count to seven hundred ninety four? Honestly."

* * *

 _January 9th, 2017 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SEVERUS SNAPE!_

 _Welcome to Happy Snape Week 2017! I hope to expand this universe in a few other drabbles posted within this alternative universe. Thank you to all of you who read, review, and interact with my stories. I adore you all._


	2. Always Welcome

Three strong knocks on his door alerted Severus to a visitor. The lateness of the hour meant trouble, so he wasted no time in throwing a thicker layer over his pajamas, a cloak that buttoned high enough to cover most of his throat scars, and slipping on his dragonhide boots. Forged by the war, his habit of always preparing a small stack of clothes on his nightstand was one of the last ones to break. Since the visitor hadn't attempted to break through his wards, a slew of possible deductions rushed through his head, three dozen possibilities of who was there and what they wanted were waiting at the forefront of his mind by the time he'd walked the fifteen steps from his bedroom to the door.

"Yes?" he said, once close enough for his voice to be heard through the wood and spells.

"It's Harry, sir."

Harry Potter knocking on his suite's door after nine on a Thursday was possibility number thirty seven, so he schooled the surprise from his face before opening the door.

"Harry," Severus said by way of greeting as he opened the door.

The younger wizard beamed at him quickly before making his way inside.

"Good evening, Severus. I didn't interrupt any research or anything, did ?"

While Harry moved to hang his winter cloak on the hook by the door, Severus surreptitiously glanced at the book he'd been reading, the cover facing down to hide the topic of his night's...research. "Not at all. Do charm the snow from your robes to save my carpet, and join me in the kitchen."

"Yes, sir," the man said. After years of knowing the boy turned man, Severus knew when he was being mocked, and chose to ignore the slight impertinence.

"What brings you to the Mastery University, Harry?" Severus said as he busied himself making a nighttime tea spread.

"I'm guest lecturing tomorrow with the Defense classes. Don't pretend you didn't already know that."

More teasing. He'd certainly grown fond of the man, he realized privately, to tolerate so much of it and with the unbidden response of a chuckle rising out of him. "You're hardly worth keeping tabs on, boy, I grew sick of that at Hogwarts."

Taking a mug of tea off of the counter, Harry turned to lean against the wall near Severus as the older man sat at his breakfast nook. The moonlight shimmered off the snow coating the roof outside of the window, casting a soft but bright light into the kitchen. For a few minutes the men drank their tea in silence, one watching out the window at the fresh snowfall, and the other attempting to warm up after walking through it.

"Will you be there?"

The hope in Harry's voice made Severus look away from the world outside and to regard the Auror over the rim of his mug. He felt the same edge of his heart that had reacted to Penelope Volume's plight give a little twinge at the idea of Harry Potter, the boy who he'd given so much grief for so many years, wanted to have him around. As if the action of visiting him wasn't enough to soften him already. But why?

"What will you be lecturing to the final form students at 9 tomorrow?"

"Ah, so you did know I would be here," Harry said, a bit too smugly for Severus' liking but he'd shown his hand on purpose to keep the conversation from more sentimental topics. "Thankfully they didn't ask about the war or Voldemort, but let me pick my own topic. I'll mostly be answering questions from the students who want to go into the Auror department of their respective countries. I hear there is a student from the United States here so I plan to ask them a bit about how the MACUSA works."

"Planning on visiting the colonies, are we?"

"I might," Harry said. "Things have been quiet here and I thought it would be a good time to go on a holiday."

Severus hummed to show he understood but didn't have much to say on the topic. The lack of a twinge from his Dark Mark still astonished him each time someone spoke the Dark Lord's name around him. The silence that could have been tense or awkward stretched on comfortably, even after Harry refilled their mugs and sat across from Severus at the nook.

"How are things for you here at the college? Are my godchildren behaving?"

"The Malfoy twins are as predictable as their parents; smarter than what's good for them, frankly."

Harry laughed. "I can't say I'm surprised. Hermione asked me to check in on them while I was here. They wanted to visit with me but Draco is engrossed with running Hermione's campaign for Minister for Magic, after all."

"Hmm, yes, I was aware. Mrs Granger-Malfoy has solicited me for advice on Pureblood customs she's been less than successful in collecting from her in-laws. They always preferred the jeweled approach to these proceedings, revealing more of the good than the bad. She has my full endorsement for the position."

"Hermione never mentioned that."

"Good," Severus said, surprising himself by chuckling again. "That's rather the point of such solicitations."

If he looked up from his tea, swirling magically around the mug in order to keep the small grains of sugar from collecting at the bottom, he would have seen Harry quirk a smile at him. "So will you be there?" the man said with just as much hope in his voice as before.

Severus looked up and nodded once in assent. Years stretched between the days he would have wasted no time in throwing the man from his sight after such shows of familiarity as he demonstrated tonight, but close to thirty years had changed that perspective. He let a smile flicker to his face as he said, "I would not miss it."

* * *

 _January 12th, 2017 - Another small entry for Happy Snape Week 2017 (January 9th through January 16th). Do let me know what you think of this AU._


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